Department of Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India

Correspondence to Dr Monica Gupta, monicamanish2001{at}gmail.com

Description

Acute splenic infarction in otherwise asymptomatic individuals harbouring sickle cell trait (SCT) may occur when they are
exposed to low oxygen tension at high altitudes.1 The first ever case report of splenic infarction in SCT was published way back in 1954 by Cooley et al.2 Since then many similar cases have been reported worldwide and discussed at length.3 The case we are highlighting here is that of a young healthy 21-year-old man, born in Punjab, India who went mountain climbing
(for the first time) at Nanda devi, Garhwal Himalayas (Uttarakhand), with an altitude of 5025 m above sea level. After rapidly
ascending to around 3500 m he suddenly experienced acute left upper quadrant discomfort, shortness of breath and left-sided
pleuritic chest pain …